Monday, October 30, 2006

It is the perfect evening to prepare for goblins and haints. The day was warm and sunny, but by the time I arrived home from school, dark thick clouds had rolled in and the north wind had picked up. It was eerie, enough so that I looked over my shoulder onece, twice before carrying my briefcase and such into the garden gate.

My voice mail was full of young voices looking for extra pieces to costumes for tomorrow night...I think I must be known as the costume lady for the neighborhood.

Last night was our town celebration of Steuben County Read. Julia Meek, NIPR radio personality, was our guest speaker. She shared Haitian folkloric traditions as well as stories. I, of course, spent the evening sharing stories with her as we enjoyed the Haitian dinner provided by the Read committee. Our book is Mountain Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder.

It was a wonderful evening. I love living in town so that I can walk to enjoy these programs. When the evening came to a close, I gathered up my black cape and made my way home enjoying the Halloween sights and sounds in the neighborhood.

Tomorrow night I will come home to light pumpkins and be ready for greeting the trick or treaters that will permeate the darkened streets of Angola.

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana. When she is home at the White Picket Gardens you can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Lou Ann Homan portraying Gene Stratton-Porter

LOU ANN HOMAN IS A STORYTELLER, A WRITER, AND A DREAMER OF DREAMS

Gardening in Northern Indiana

It seems as if winter just simply vanished and left us with a beautiful spring. One day there is snow on my doorstep and the next the daffodils are blooming. For my gardening chores this April I am raking and pulling off the winter cover on my perennials. I am also turning my compost heap and digging up my garden space inch by inch! I noticed just today the rhubarb is up as as the chives. The berry bushes have tiny leaves and the birds are still in abundance by my feeders. With the doors open at night, I can hear the peepers and let the wind blow right over me as I dream of summer gardens.

If you like I can send my blog to you every day on your email!

Lou Ann Homan

Click on the Photo to View a Sample of My Storytelling

Storyteller's Journal

Dear Folks,

Welcome to my world of storytelling, writing, and as you can see, dreamer of dreams. My storytelling has taken me to all sorts of locations around the country and in a few other countries. I have shows suitable for all ages and interests.

I do programs for teachers, for poets, for students, and for all who love the sound of language and words. I also am a Fringe Festival artist!

I also am a faculty member of Trine University where I teach writing and speech. I am a columnist for our local paper, The Herald Republican. My columns appear on Saturday and have been featured for nine years!

I am a traveler, a hobo, a drifter, a gatherer of tales, and a one-woman show. Thanks for taking the time to take a look. I would love to talk with you, share emails and blogs or even share a cup of tea in my lovely old house. Above all, I would love to share stories with you.

Lou Ann

Storytelling in Schools

Murder Mystery Weekends

Research Projects for your town

Scary Stories for the Autumn

Summer reading programs

Anne Bonny and other women pirates

Winter Woolies

Keynoting for schools

Workshops for students and teachers

Square Dance calling

Writing workshops

Poetry and Haiku workshops

Writing and directing of shows (especially murder mystery shows for middle school, have several to choose from. This is a weeklong residency.)

About Me

My hometown is Angola, Indiana with time spent on Ocracoke Island as well!

I am a storyteller, a theater coach, an actress, and a writer. When I am not traveling and gathering stories, you can find me writing late into the evening under the light of my old scarlet, frayed lamp. I am a believer in small towns in America and the blog is written to bring focus to them and to save them!
I also garden and am deeply aware of the environment and the issues. Please visit my blog often to share with me short stories that just happen, recipes, gardening, environmental preservation, books, photography and family, of course!